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If there’s ever anything I can do...

MaggieD

MaggieD

DP Veteran
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
43,244
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Location
Chicago Area
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Moderate
How often have we said those words? And really DID mean them!! Dozens of times! But it’s HARD for people to ask for help, even when they sorely need it. For some reason, my friends and neighbors seem to have it down to a science. I wish I’d learned the lessons they’ve taught me much earlier in life.

A neighbor.. “Maggie, don’t worry about taking your garbage to the curb. We’ve got it from now on.”

Another neighbor calls, “Maggie, I’m on my way to the grocery store. what do you need?”

A friend, “Maggie, the parking sucks there. I’ll pick you up and drop you at the door. What time will you be ready?”

Another friend, “Maggie, I’m standing at the Costco soups aisle. Cream of chicken or tomato basil or both?”

Another friend, “Don’t plan dinner tonight. I’m dropping off some stew I made.”

One of the neighbors stopped over the other evening with shopping bags loaded with Xmas decorations. I thought, OMFG! I can’t put them up...didn’t say that out load though. Just thanked her profusely. That wasn’t her plan. In an hour and a half, my house was all decorated. A lighted swag on the picture window, tons of red and green lights surrounding the entertainment center, a lovely foil red and green Xmas tree five feet tall in a corner. OMG!!

Another friend, “Hope you don’t have to cancel Thanksgiving plans with anybody else, but you’re coming to my house. We’ll pick you up at 2:00. Dinner’s at four.”

So, on this particular Thanksgiving, I have never been so thankful and grateful in my whole life.

And I thought I would pass along a lesson in “If there’s anything I can do” to my DP friends...

I personally wish I’d learned it much earlier in my life.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, all!!

Discussion? Your examples??
 
Sometimes you can wonder what happened to the good in the world and then
it shows up at your door! Yup it's right there showing us all there is still lots
of good in the world. So glad to hear it found you.

Happy T-day all!
 
MaggieD said:
How often have we said those words? And really DID mean them!! Dozens of times! But it’s HARD for people to ask for help, even when they sorely need it. For some reason, my friends and neighbors seem to have it down to a science. I wish I’d learned the lessons they’ve taught me much earlier in life.

A neighbor.. “Maggie, don’t worry about taking your garbage to the curb. We’ve got it from now on.”

Another neighbor calls, “Maggie, I’m on my way to the grocery store. what do you need?”

A friend, “Maggie, the parking sucks there. I’ll pick you up and drop you at the door. What time will you be ready?”

Another friend, “Maggie, I’m standing at the Costco soups aisle. Cream of chicken or tomato basil or both?”

Another friend, “Don’t plan dinner tonight. I’m dropping off some stew I made.”

One of the neighbors stopped over the other evening with shopping bags loaded with Xmas decorations. I thought, OMFG! I can’t put them up...didn’t say that out load though. Just thanked her profusely. That wasn’t her plan. In an hour and a half, my house was all decorated. A lighted swag on the picture window, tons of red and green lights surrounding the entertainment center, a lovely foil red and green Xmas tree five feet tall in a corner. OMG!!

Another friend, “Hope you don’t have to cancel Thanksgiving plans with anybody else, but you’re coming to my house. We’ll pick you up at 2:00. Dinner’s at four.”

So, on this particular Thanksgiving, I have never been so thankful and grateful in my whole life.

And I thought I would pass along a lesson in “If there’s anything I can do” to my DP friends...

I personally wish I’d learned it much earlier in my life.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, all!!

Discussion? Your examples??
Click to expand...



In my experience, Maggie, people get as good as they give. You have some amazing friends and neighbors, but hearing all they're doing for you tells me something -- it's because you've done the same sort of things for others. What they're doing now is a reflection of that. They are repaying friendship, goodness and kindness with friendship, goodness and kindness.

Anytime we help another human being -- we're also helping ourselves.
 
Thanks for the reminder Maggie.
Something amazing happens when we help someone and make someone smile. Your own troubles seem less bothersome, you feel less lonely, you feel more loved, grateful that you can offer a helping hand. Look around you. When you think you have it bad, there is always someone worse off.
 
HowardBThiname said:
In my experience, Maggie, people get as good as they give. You have some amazing friends and neighbors, but hearing all they're doing for you tells me something -- it's because you've done the same sort of things for others. What they're doing now is a reflection of that. They are repaying friendship, goodness and kindness with friendship, goodness and kindness.

Anytime we help another human being -- we're also helping ourselves.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I wish I had done SO much more.

Happy Thanksgiving, Howard!
 
Not many. I tend to inspire that reaction of, "Oh, Smoke will be fine." I tend to be the one making a bigger effort. I'm aware that has something to do with my own way of behaving. But there's been a lot of times in my life where that discouraged me from asking more than I often say.

For most of my life, my dad was pretty much the only one making an effort for me. Obviously that hasn't been the case the past few years.

But there's been a bit of a tide turn the past couple months. International moves are bumpy, and this one's been no exception. A project of mine got thrown on the backburner for 6 months while I just tried to get through all of this.

The support I got once I came back out of the mines has been almost intimidatingly overwhelming, far above and beyond what I ever expected.

And someone's making good on a 10-year-old promise for me that has been incredibly demanding in the making. Thus why it took so many years. But some of those years were waiting for me to be willing to accept. I still don't really believe it, incredulous creature I am. "That's fine, you don't have to. You'll just see it."

This Thanksgiving is a complex one for me. As all holidays have been since my dad died, to be honest. But there's been a positive shift this year, finally, and in no small part it's because I'm trying a little less hard to "always be fine" and the reaction I've gotten to that has been more than I ever could have hoped.
 
MaggieD said:
How often have we said those words? And really DID mean them!! Dozens of times! But it’s HARD for people to ask for help, even when they sorely need it. For some reason, my friends and neighbors seem to have it down to a science. I wish I’d learned the lessons they’ve taught me much earlier in life.

A neighbor.. “Maggie, don’t worry about taking your garbage to the curb. We’ve got it from now on.”

Another neighbor calls, “Maggie, I’m on my way to the grocery store. what do you need?”

A friend, “Maggie, the parking sucks there. I’ll pick you up and drop you at the door. What time will you be ready?”

Another friend, “Maggie, I’m standing at the Costco soups aisle. Cream of chicken or tomato basil or both?”

Another friend, “Don’t plan dinner tonight. I’m dropping off some stew I made.”

One of the neighbors stopped over the other evening with shopping bags loaded with Xmas decorations. I thought, OMFG! I can’t put them up...didn’t say that out load though. Just thanked her profusely. That wasn’t her plan. In an hour and a half, my house was all decorated. A lighted swag on the picture window, tons of red and green lights surrounding the entertainment center, a lovely foil red and green Xmas tree five feet tall in a corner. OMG!!

Another friend, “Hope you don’t have to cancel Thanksgiving plans with anybody else, but you’re coming to my house. We’ll pick you up at 2:00. Dinner’s at four.”

So, on this particular Thanksgiving, I have never been so thankful and grateful in my whole life.

And I thought I would pass along a lesson in “If there’s anything I can do” to my DP friends...

I personally wish I’d learned it much earlier in my life.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, all!!

Discussion? Your examples??
Click to expand...

Because they have such a wonderful neighbour and friend like you
 
MaggieD said:
Your examples??
Click to expand...

The biggest thing I ever did was when the girl I let move in with me had a car accident due to a breakthrough seizure due to epilepsy (she hadn't had a seizure for 12 years previously). My response was 'I'll be right there', packed up, took my work computer and cell phone, and was down to Texas from NY two days later to be chauffeur and help out with her school needs and her doctors. Came back home 7 months later after she graduated.
 
RAMOSS said:
The biggest thing I ever did was when the girl I let move in with me had a car accident due to a breakthrough seizure due to epilepsy (she hadn't had a seizure for 12 years previously). My response was 'I'll be right there', packed up, took my work computer and cell phone, and was down to Texas from NY two days later to be chauffeur and help out with her school needs and her doctors. Came back home 7 months later after she graduated.
Click to expand...

What a kind and generous thing to do!
 
MaggieD said:
How often have we said those words? And really DID mean them!! Dozens of times! But it’s HARD for people to ask for help, even when they sorely need it. For some reason, my friends and neighbors seem to have it down to a science. I wish I’d learned the lessons they’ve taught me much earlier in life.

A neighbor.. “Maggie, don’t worry about taking your garbage to the curb. We’ve got it from now on.”

Another neighbor calls, “Maggie, I’m on my way to the grocery store. what do you need?”

A friend, “Maggie, the parking sucks there. I’ll pick you up and drop you at the door. What time will you be ready?”

Another friend, “Maggie, I’m standing at the Costco soups aisle. Cream of chicken or tomato basil or both?”

Another friend, “Don’t plan dinner tonight. I’m dropping off some stew I made.”

One of the neighbors stopped over the other evening with shopping bags loaded with Xmas decorations. I thought, OMFG! I can’t put them up...didn’t say that out load though. Just thanked her profusely. That wasn’t her plan. In an hour and a half, my house was all decorated. A lighted swag on the picture window, tons of red and green lights surrounding the entertainment center, a lovely foil red and green Xmas tree five feet tall in a corner. OMG!!

Another friend, “Hope you don’t have to cancel Thanksgiving plans with anybody else, but you’re coming to my house. We’ll pick you up at 2:00. Dinner’s at four.”

So, on this particular Thanksgiving, I have never been so thankful and grateful in my whole life.

And I thought I would pass along a lesson in “If there’s anything I can do” to my DP friends...

I personally wish I’d learned it much earlier in my life.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, all!!

Discussion? Your examples??
Click to expand...

Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Mags.

I can relate to an extent. Sometimes I concern myself with a lot of my friend's issues and problems, and I try to comfort and help them as best as I can when they're in a rough spot. Now, I sometimes don't get the same treatment back, because I have a tendency to hide my own problems from other people.
 
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